Mustang: Journey of Transformation
Short Films
(Nepal , USA, 2009, 29 mins)
In English, Tibetan with English subtitlesHDCAM
Hawaii Premiere
Directed By: Will Parrinello
Narrator: Richard Gere
Producer: Will Parrinello
Screenwriter: Sarah Kass
Editor: Quinn Costello
Director of Photograpy: Andrew Black
Original Music: Rich Kern, Steve Messina
Cast: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Luigi Fieni, John Sanday, Richard Blum, Norbu Tenzig
Producer: Will Parrinello
Screenwriter: Sarah Kass
Editor: Quinn Costello
Director of Photograpy: Andrew Black
Original Music: Rich Kern, Steve Messina
Cast: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Luigi Fieni, John Sanday, Richard Blum, Norbu Tenzig
Who knew‾ On the Himalayan border with China, politically a part of Nepal, there exists a tiny kingdom on a high desert plateau where the people still practice Tibetan Buddhism. This is Mustang. (Not pronounced like the wild horse. More like moose-TONG.)
The landscapes in this doc stun the mind, vertical, minimalist and other-planetary, as though you are listening to a huge symphonic orchestra play sustained single chords.
Yet at first this story conveys a decrepit sadness. The kingdom's once-gorgeous monasteries were rotting. A great 15th-century civilization had degenerated into despondent poverty. Emotionally speaking, this doc starts to feel about as inspiring as a night in a foggy graveyard.
But a kind of miracle happens, and really did happen, and its story unfolds here. Humanitarians (the American Himalayan Foundation) invested in the well-being of the Mustang people, and they did it in an apparently goofy way-not by shipping fertilizer to its farmers but by turning its farmers into art restoration specialists. They trained and paid the Mustang people to bring the monasteries back to their climactic beauty. Along with that restoration came a vivid revival of Tibetan Buddhist practices. Suddenly the Mustangers have a new industry. It's called being themselves.
I hope they're setting up a good visitor industry because anyone who sees this film will start thinking about making a trip to Mustang. And should. But don't forget to notice that the 50-mile trip to the capital city requires five days on horseback.
The landscapes in this doc stun the mind, vertical, minimalist and other-planetary, as though you are listening to a huge symphonic orchestra play sustained single chords.
Yet at first this story conveys a decrepit sadness. The kingdom's once-gorgeous monasteries were rotting. A great 15th-century civilization had degenerated into despondent poverty. Emotionally speaking, this doc starts to feel about as inspiring as a night in a foggy graveyard.
But a kind of miracle happens, and really did happen, and its story unfolds here. Humanitarians (the American Himalayan Foundation) invested in the well-being of the Mustang people, and they did it in an apparently goofy way-not by shipping fertilizer to its farmers but by turning its farmers into art restoration specialists. They trained and paid the Mustang people to bring the monasteries back to their climactic beauty. Along with that restoration came a vivid revival of Tibetan Buddhist practices. Suddenly the Mustangers have a new industry. It's called being themselves.
I hope they're setting up a good visitor industry because anyone who sees this film will start thinking about making a trip to Mustang. And should. But don't forget to notice that the 50-mile trip to the capital city requires five days on horseback.
www.vimeo.com/4685133
Not yet MPAA rated.
Not yet MPAA rated.
Screening Schedule
Sat, Jun 20th 8:00pm
SandDance- Wailea Beach
SandDance- Wailea Beach
FREE
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